Portuguese born, London-based artist Emanuel De Sousa will present works from his twenty-part series “Bruce Lee Shoes”. 

De Sousa transforms the traditional figurative portrait style by delivering works with a pop “edge” thereby connecting the viewer to a point in space where nostalgia and excitement intersect. 

“The narratives in the paintings are complex and translate like a dream. They are tiny closed universes where absurd, nonsensical realities make sense.” Whether it is a nod to the iconic omnipresent Bruce Lee yellow suit or the texture of the porcelain dogs and mylar balloons, the viewer feels comfort that the elements fit in spite of defying rational behavior.

Backgrounds are essential to De Sousa. By using a technique where he lets water and charcoal “bleed” down the canvas adding components like distantly familiar wallpaper and traditional chairs, he creates a dream-like organized chaos. Inside these familiar memories is where he begins to find a home for his characters and illuminates their features with acrylic paint. 

De Sousa’s series offers a glimpse into the crossover connection of the childhoods of hippies, hipsters, martial arts enthusiasts, rockabillies, and 80s babies. He creates a place where these potentially conflicting worlds co-exist. 

Developing on the idea of co-existence and the human movement,  De Sousa will create an installation- a structure that runs the length of the 1800 square foot gallery. Individual faces will be the bricks in this wall and it includes people of all backgrounds and interests simultaneously existing inside the confines of a conceptual societal structure.